10 Movies Every Photographer Must Watch

1- Iraq in Fragments (2006)

Iraq in Fragments illuminates post-war Iraq in three acts, building a picture of a country pulled in different directions by religion and ethnicity. Filmed in verité style with no scripted narration, the film explores the lives of ordinary Iraqis to illustrate and give background to larger trends in Iraqi society.
The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival where it won three awards: “Directing Award Documentary”, “Editing Award Documentary” and “Excellence in Cinematography Award Documentary”. These awards itself speaks why it tops the list of Must watch Photography Films.

2- The Third Man (1949)

Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
It never seems old. It will get stuck into your mind, haunting you, with its unearthly music and its dark, oblique photography. And that great Orson Welles’ speech, and also the best entrance in movie history to go along with the best exit in movie history. It couldn’t be better. you can’t even express how you feel in words. Watch it again and again, and you’ll be dazed!

3- Salvador (1986)

An American photojournalist gets caught in a political struggle at El Salvador in 1980. This movie was overshadowed by Platoon. The connection being that both are from the genius Oliver Stone! And both being released in 1986! Salvador at least as engaging as Platoon, but looking and feeling a lot more raw.
You get the feeling it’s a documentary. The camera is in your face! Which is exactly what Oliver Stone wanted you to feel! And who better to represent the audience than a journalist (James Woods)?
Although if you watch the document about making this movie, which is as exciting as the future film itself, you’ll appreciate the film a lot more! You will love it a lot more! Watch the movie for it’s gritty content and for the fact it’s a no holds barred look at a war zone and the depiction of that situation through media and politics!

4- The Killing Fields (1984)

A journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot’s bloody “Year Zero” cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million “undesirable” civilians. This movie depicts the story of one Dith Pran engulfed in one of the most tragic genocidal regimes to ever grace this planet.
A pretty typical story of an individual being caught in a ‘wipeout’ program much akin to the many holocaust films out there. What makes this film stand out is that it shows the viewers a different regime in history with very much the same effects on its population as the holocaust. The acting is superb by all degrees, in fact, the main actor Dith Pran (real name Haing S Ngor) has actually been through the horrors of Pol Pot’s regime. In conclusion, a nice movie to watch just to see the power of a regime other than the Nazi’s as well as a man who has to go through all of it.

5- The Public Eye (1992)

Story of a 1940s photographer who specializes in crime and in not getting involved… until this time.
Joe Pesci is the perfect little pain in the rear end photographer getting into everyone’s way with no real change for a normal life. His one dream? To have his book published, to get the picture no one else does. That he accomplishes in the photograph of a mob hit. The movie set against World War 2 and the gasoline rationing scandal he uncovers. Barbara Hershey seems to fall in love with him, but he doesn’t seem to be paying attention. That one thing, the picture overwhelms his mind. Pesci is the whole movie, everyone else are just players. With Hoe Pesci you would think this to be a comedy, it isn’t.

6- Proof (1991)

The life of a blind photographer who is looked after by a housekeeper is disrupted by the arrival of an agreeable restaurant worker.
In short this deliciously enticing bit of cinema from Down Under revolves around the activities of three people: A mistrustful blind man, a desperate, love-hungry woman, a misguided young man, and what happens when these three paths intersect.

7- Pecker (1998)

A talented young photographer, who enjoys snapping photos of his satirical, perverted Baltimore neighborhood and his wacky family, gets dragged into a world of pretentious artists from New York City and finds newfound fame.
I think the true beauty of this movie is in the acting. Waters guides his cast into committed characterizations, adding layer upon layer of sub-text until they blossom before your eyes. Waters approaches his characters the way a painter approaches his easel and taking a mental snapshot, paints his perspective. Add all these factors in and you see why I say Pecker is a great movie!

8 – The Bang Bang Club (2010)

A drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa.
In a particularly touching scene Kevin photographs a starving child being stalked by a hungry vulture and his photograph wins a second Pulitzer Prize for the group. But war is war and takes is mental and physical tolls on the Bang Bang Gang and only two survive to write the book whose journal like content provides the story for the film.

9- The Last Emperor (1987)

The story of the final Emperor of China.
While the film isn’t perfect, it is certainly beautiful and a visual treat for anyone. Bernardo Bertolucci’s cinematic biography of Emperor Pu Yi is an emotional, beautiful and astonishing film… And it’s a massive production which won 9 Oscars, It deserved every single one of them. The film will always be remembered for its size and its beauty. This Asian Masterpiece tells us a story of not only an Emperor, but of a country, which was and still is the largest nation in the world. The Last Emperor is certainly one the Largest, most beautiful films ever created in Cinema.

10- Schindler’s List (1993)

In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans.
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans.
I know many of you, out there will disagree with me, when I say that Schindler’s List is one of the greatest film that there has ever been. It does sound that I’m extremely overrating it, but I truly believe that Schindler’s List is up there with The Godfather and Citizen Kane I mean everything about is so good, that its close to perfection.